TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio — Antonio Agustin-Ailon, a 34-year-old Guatemalan national living in Ohio, was arrested on July 25, 2024, after being discovered with 12-year-old Marcia Gomez-Perez, who had been reported missing from Gainesville, Georgia on May 29, 2024.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia confirmed that Agustin-Ailon was found at a home in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Investigators allege that he traveled to Gainesville with the intention of abducting the girl and taking her back to Ohio.
Lee Darragh, District Attorney for Georgia’s Northeastern Judicial Circuit, explained, “After discussing with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the Tuscarawas County prosecutor, we decided it’s best to delay extradition. The most serious offenses occurred in Ohio, and key witnesses for the Hall County case are there. It makes sense for the suspect to address Ohio’s charges first.”
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch supported this approach: “Our goal is to see justice served. If it means waiting for the suspect to face Ohio’s charges before our own, we’ll do that. We need to ensure he cannot harm another community like he did ours.”
The Hall County DA’s office will proceed with filing charges in Georgia, potentially through a Grand Jury, while Ohio continues with its case against Agustin-Ailon.